Green chilli masala

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Green chillies (bhajji  Milagai) – 4 or 5 (cut in the middle and take some seeds out)

Aloo -2 cut into pieces

Peas -  if desired

Tomatoes – 3 cut into small pieces

Tomato puree – ½ cup

Jeera  (Cumin) – 1 tbsp

Pudhina leaves (mint) – as per taste

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Dhania powder – 1 tbsp

Garam masala – 1 tbsp

Amchur (dry mango) powder – 1 tbsp

Methi powder – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Oil  – 1 tbsp

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Curd – 3 tbsp

Milk or milk cream – 1 tbsp

Coriander – for garnishing

Preparation of Green chilli masala:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add jeera (cumin seeds), pudhina (mint leaves), mirch (bhajji milaga) seeds and asafoetida
2. When they sizzle, add the tomatoes cut into pieces along with the mirch (bhajji milagai) and cook for 1 min.
3. Then pour some water and tomato puree.
4. Add chilli powder, dhania, amchur, methi, garam masala, powder, salt and stir well.
5. Add potatoes, peas and cook well atleast for 10 – 15 mins.
6. After it becomes thick as a gravy add curd, milk or milk cream and remove from the flame.

Best side dish for naan, roti and paratha.

Additional Info:

You can add some more water or tomato puree to increase the amt of gravy.

You can also add 1 tbsp of corn flour mixed in 2tbsp of water to the gravy, to make it thick.

Eggless Fruit Cake

I was thinking what to do for my Husband’s B’day. We are strict vegetarians. I wanted to try a cake. So I tried this and it came out really well. My husband loved it. There is no oven with me, so I tried it in the pressure cooker. It was perfect. My husband enjoyed his b’day with this homemade tasty cake. This is my first attempt. Now I’m planning to try all kinds of cakes. Chocolate, vanilla etc……. Look out for my posts.

Try it and enjoy!!!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (maida) – 1 cup

Powdered sugar – ½ cup

Butter – ¼ cup

Baking soda – 1 tbsp

Dates – 5 – 10 pieces (cut into small pieces)

Mixed Tutty fruity – ½ cup

Milk – ½ cup

Salt – 1 pinch

For Greasing:

Butter – 1 tbsp

Maida flour – 1 tbsp

Preparation of Mixture:

1. Sieve maida, salt, baking soda and then keep it aside.
2. Take a bowl, add powdered sugar and butter and beat well for 5 mins with a blender or with a spatula by hand for 7-10 mins.
3. After it is mixed well, add the sieved flour mixture and mix it to form dough.
4. Once it is mixed, add milk little by little to the mixture and mix it till it becomes like a thick paste. Beat the mixture well for 2 mins.
5. Now add the dates pieces and tutty fruity to it and beat for another 2 mins.

Preparation of cake in pressure cooker:

1. Take aluminum or a stainless steel vessel. Grease it with butter and just spread the flour over it.
2. Now pour water in a pressure cooker and heat it in high flame for 2 mins.
3. Pour the mixture in to the greased vessel. Do not place the greased vessel directly into the cooker. Take a small bowl with little water in it and place it in the cooker. Now keep the greased vessel above the small bowl and close the pressure cooker without the whistle. Do not close the greased vessel.
4. Now reduce the flame to low and leave it to cook for 35 – 40 mins.
5. After 40 mins remove from flame and allow it to cool for few mins, then just invert the vessel so that the cake come out in a proper shape. Decorate it as you wish.

Additional Info:

After 30 mins open the pressure cooker lid and check whether the cake is cooked. You can do that by inserting a thin stick to it. When you take out, there shouldn’t be any sticky paste.

Make sure it is not overcooked. 35 mins is perfect. If you feel it needs some more time keep it for 40  mins.

If you have a hot plate, after you heat the cooker in full flame reduce the flame to 4 or 3 and leave the cake to cook for 30 – 35 mins.

Rumali Roti

Serves 13-15 rotis

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour – 1 ½ cup

All Purpose flour (Maida) – 1 ½ cup

Baking soda (Cooking soda) – ½ tbsp

Salt – to taste

Water – For kneading

Refined Oil – For kneading & cooking roti

Wheat flour – 3-4 tbsp for making roti

Preparation of dough:

1. Take a large bowl, add both flour, salt, baking soda and mix well.
2. Add little water & oil and start kneading the flour mixture.
3. Add water & oil little by little and knead till all mix together and become soft dough.
4. Cover the dough with a thin cotton or muslin cloth and keep it aside for 30-45 mins.

Preparation of Rumali Roti:

1. Make medium size balls out of dough. Take a ball, dip it in wheat flour and roll it over a clean surface to make a circle. Roll the dough to make a very thin big circle. Make it as thin as possible.
2. Follow the same procedure for all dough balls.
3. Heat a flat tava in high flame. Once it is heated, lower the flame to medium and put the roti in tava. Add little oil around the roti and cook for 1 min.
4. Now turn the roti to the other side and cook for 1 min. Keep it in flame for some more time if it is not cooked well.
5. Take out the roti and fold it like a kerchief.  Do the same procedure for all.

Tasty rumali roti is ready. Have with paneer dishes or any gravies.

Additional Info:

Rumal means Kerchief in Hindi. This roti is called so becoz, we make this roti very thin like kerchief.

If you do not have a thin cloth to cover the dough, close the bowl with a lid for 1 hour.

Kadai Paneer

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Paneer (homemade or readymade) – 15 – 20 cubes or 250 gms

Red or Green Capsicum – 1 (cut into long thin pieces)

Tomato – 2 (grinded or cut into small pieces)

Cashews – 2-3 (shredded)

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Dhania Powder – 1 tbsp

Amchur powder – ½ tbsp

Garam masala powder – ½ tbsp

Fennel (sombu) – ½ tbsp

Jeera (cumin seeds) – 1 tbsp

Cardamom – 2 or ¼ tbsp powder

Poppy seeds – ½ tbsp

Mint leaves – 4-5

Asafoetida – pinch

Curd – 2 tbsp

Milk – ½ cup

Milk cream – 1 tbsp (optional)

Salt – To taste

Oil or ghee – 2 tbsp

Coriander – for garnishing

Preparation of Kadai Paneer:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil or ghee in a pan and fry the paneer cubes and capsicum. When paneer starts turning golden brown remove from flame and keep it aside. You can fry them separately too so that the capsicum gets more fried and it will taste cool.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil or ghee in a pan, add fennel, jeera, poppy seeds, mint leaves, asafoetida and fry lightly.
3. Now add the tomatoes and some water to cook. Add chilli powder, dhania, amchur, garam masala powder and cook for 5 mins in medium flame. Add little water if needed.
4. Add milk, curd, salt and cook for 3-5 mins till it becomes slightly thick.
5. Now add the paneer and capsicum, mix and cook for 2 mins and keep it aside.

Add coriander, milk cream and serve hot…….

Additional Info:

I usually add green capsicum, but in my friend Rohini’s blog, she has suggested red capsicum.  I tried it and it tastes really good.

Instead of frying the paneer normally try to burn it slightly. I did like that this time, it tasted awesome…..

Pesarattu (Green moong Dosa)

15-20 dosas

Ingredients:

Green moong dal – 1 cup

Raw rice – 1/4 cup

Green or red chillies – 10-12

Jeera (cumin seeds) – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Oil – for cooking

Water – for soaking and grinding

Preparation of Pesarattu:

1. Soak the green moong dal and rice together for 5-6 hrs.

2. After 6 hrs, add chillies, jeera, asafoetida, soaked mixture (green dal and rice) and grind it well. Add some water till it becomes like dosa batter.

3. Now add salt and mix it.

4.  Heat tava in medium flame. Once it is heated, pour the batter in a cup shaped spatula and spread it over tava to form a round shape.

5. Pour little oil around it and cook for 1 min. then turn the dosa to the other side and cook for a min. Follow the same procedure for the rest.

Enjoy it with tomoto or coconut chutney…….

Additional Info:

This dosa is very famous in Andhra pradesh. It is specially called Andhra pesarattu.

If you like more spicy dosa, add dry chillies.

For more flavour, cut some carrot, coriander, mint leaves and mix with batter. Then make dosa as said above.

It will give a different taste.

Veg Samosa

10-12 samosas

Ingredients:
For Stuffing:

Carrot – 2

Beans (cut into small pieces)– ¼ cup

Peas – ¼ cup

Cabbage (chopped)– ¼ cup

Potato – 2 (cook, peel the skin and mash)

Red or Green chillies – 4 – 5 (cut into pieces)

Salt – to taste

Jeera (cumin seeds) – 1 tbsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Fennel (sombu) – ½ tbsp

Garam masala powder – ½ tbsp

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Coriander (chopped) – ¼ cup

Oil – for frying 

For Dough:

All purpose flour (maida) – 1 cup

Salt – to taste

Baking soda – 1 pinch

Oil – for kneading

Water – for kneading

Preparation of Dough:
1. Take a bowl, add the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix well…
2. Add little by little water and oil and knead well till it becomes soft dough.
3. Make medium size balls and keep it aside.

Preparation of Vegetable stuffing:
1. Heat oil in pan, add jeera (cumin), fennel, chillies and fry lightly.
2. Add all the vegetables (except Potato) and some water to cook.
3. Add Garam masala powder, asafoetida and cook well for 10 – 15 mins in medium flame.
4. After the vegetables are cooked add the mashed potato, salt and mix well. Cook it for 2 – 3 mins and remove from flame. Add coriander..
5. Make balls of enough size to keep it inside the dough balls.

Preparation of Samosa:

1.Take one dough ball and roll it in maida flour slightly.
2.Roll the ball in a clean surface to make a one inch thick circle. Put the vegetable balls in the middle and cover it by joining the ends of the dough in such a way to form a triangle. Press the ends well so that the stuffing won’t come out. Repeat the process for all balls.
3.Now heat oil enough for frying in a pan in medium flame. Once the oil is ready to fry, put one samosa and fry it for a min till it turns to golden brown. Turn it to the other side and fry for a min.
4.Once it is turned into golden brown colour and fried well. Remove from oil and keep it in a bowl with tissues.

Enjoy it with sauce and chutneys……

Additional Info:

You can also add vegetables like Cauliflower, Cabbage, Capsicum etc…….

Bread Bhajji

Ingredients:

Bread – 4 slices (cut 1 slice into 4 square pieces)

Gram Flour – ½ cup

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Baking soda – 1 pinch (optional)

Kesari colour (optional) – 1 pinch

Water – to make batter

Oil – to fry

Preparation of Batter:

1. Take the gram flour in a bowl and add chilli powder, salt, asafoetida, (baking soda, colour – optional).
2. Add water little by little to the flour mixture and mix it well till it becomes like a dosa batter. Keep it aside for 5 mins.

Preparation of Bread Bhajji:

1. Heat oil enough to deep fry in a frying pan in medium flame.
2. Take the cut bread pieces and dip it in the batter one by one.
3. Dip it well so that the batter gets spread all over it.
4. Once the oil is heated well to fry, take one piece out of the batter and put it in the oil. Keep it in medium flame.
5. Fry for a min then turn it over to the other side and fry for a min.
6. Once it is turned to a golden brown colour, take out and put in a vessel covered with tissues. The tissues will take out the excess oil. Repeat the process for all pieces.

Enjoy it with sauce or Chutneys……

Additional Info:

There is no need for removing the outer brown layer of the bread. But if preferred, you can remove and use.

The batter is same for all kinds of bhajji. So you can use the leftover batter for other vegetables.

Rice Upma (Arisi Upma)

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Raw rice – 1 cup

Toor Dal – 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp

Urid dal – 1 tbsp

Jeera (cumin seeds) – 1 tbsp

Channa dal – 2 tbsp

Dry red chillies or green chillies – 4-5

Grated Coconut – ¼ cup

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

Water – 5 cups

Corainder – For garnishing

Preparation of Arisi Upma:

1. Grind the raw rice and toor dal in a mixie till the rice broke into tiny pieces. Do not grind the rice to flour.
2. Heat (medium flame) oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. After it crackles add urid dal, jeera (cumin), channa dal and fry lightly.
3. Now add chillies, 5 cups water, grated coconut and salt. Cook till the water starts boiling.
4. Now pour the rice mixture into it and mix well. Shift the content to a vessel suitable to keep in a pressure cooker.
5. Close the vessel with a lid and close the pressure cooker. Allow 4 – 5 whistles and remove the cooker from heat.
6. Once the pressure is released take out the vessel, mix the contents well and garnish with coriander.

Enjoy with Chutneys……

Additional Info:

You can also do this without coconut. Use gingelly oil for frying to add more flavour.

If you do not wish to cook this in pressure cooker use can cook in normal pan. Follow the same procedure till step 4. Do not change the content. Just allow it to cook in medium flame in the same pan. Stir it at regular intervals.

Potato Bhajji (Aloo Bhajji)

10-15 pieces

Ingredients:

Potatoes (aloo) – 2

Gram Flour – ½ cup

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Baking soda – 1 pinch (optional)

Kesari colour (optional) – 1 pinch

Water – to make batter

Oil – to fry

Preparation of Batter:

1. Take the gram flour in a bowl and add chilli powder, salt, asafoetida, (baking soda, colour – optional).
2. Add water little by little to the flour mixture and mix it well till it becomes like a dosa batter. Keep it aside for 5 mins.

Preparation of Potato Bhajji:

1. Take the potato and peel of the skin.  Heat oil enough to deep fry in a frying pan in medium flame.
2. Cut the potato into thin round pieces and dip it in the batter one by one.
3. Dip it well so that the batter gets spread all over it.
4. Once the oil is heated well to fry, take one piece out of the batter and put it in the oil. Keep it in medium flame.
5. Fry for a min then turn it over to the other side and fry for a min.
6. Once it is turned to a golden brown colour, take out and put in a vessel covered with tissues. The tissues will take out the excess oil. Repeat the process for all pieces.

Enjoy it with sauce or Chutneys……

Additional Info:

The batter is same for all kinds of bhajji. So you can use the leftover batter for other vegetables.

Aloo Matar

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Potato (aloo) – 2 (peel off the skin and cut into pieces)

Peas (Matar) – ½ cup

Tomato – 2 (cut into small pieces)

Jeera (cumin seeds) – 1 tbsp

Fennel (sombu) – ½ tbsp

Mint leaves (pudhina) – 5-6 leaves

Cardamom – 1 or powder – ¼ tbsp.

Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp

Dhania Powder – ½ tbsp.

Amchur Powder – ½ tbsp.

Garam masala Powder – ½ tbsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

Milk – ¼ cup

Curd – ½ tbsp

Milk cream (optional) – ½ tbsp

Tomato Puree (optional) – as needed

Coriander – for garnishing

Preparation of Aloo Matar:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add jeera (cumin), fennel, mint leaves, cardamom and fry it lightly.
2. Then add tomatoes with little water and cook for 2 mins.
3. Add chilli powder, dhania, amchur, garam masala powder, salt and cook for 1 min.
4. Now add potatoes, peas and some more water to cook. Cook it for 10 – 15 mins till the potatoes are cooked well.
5. Now add milk, curd and cook for a min and remove from flame.

Garnish with coriander…….

Additional Info:

You can some tomato puree along with the potatoes to increase the amount of gravy.

Add the milk cream (optional) just few minutes before serving.

Raw Banana Bhajji (Vazhaikai Bhajji)

10-12 pieces

Ingredients:

Raw Banana (vazhaika) – 1

Gram Flour – ½ cup

Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Baking soda – 1 pinch (optional)

Kesari colour (optional) – 1 pinch

Water – to make batter

Oil – to fry

Preparation of Batter:

1. Take the gram flour in a bowl and add chilli powder, salt, asafoetida, (baking soda, colour – optional).
2. Add water little by little to the flour mixture and mix it well till it becomes like a dosa batter. Keep it aside for 5 mins.

Preparation of Raw Banana Bhajji:

1. Take the raw banana and peel of the skin.  Heat oil enough to deep fry in a frying pan in medium flame.
2. Cut the raw banana in desired shape and dip it in the batter one by one.
3. Dip it well so that the batter gets spread all over it.
4. Once the oil is heated well to fry, take one piece out of the batter and put it in the oil. Keep it in medium flame.
5. Fry for a min then turn it over to the other side and fry for a min.
6. Once it is turned to a golden brown colour, take out and put in a vessel covered with tissues. The tissues will take out the excess oil. Repeat the process for all raw banana pieces.

Enjoy it with sauce or Chutneys……

Additional Info:

The batter is same for all kinds of bhajji. So you can use the leftover batter for other vegetables.